Our First Time
by shopgirl152
Summary: Willow and Tara's "first time." From the episode "Who are You?" oneshot


**A/N: **My interpretation (and expansion) of the Willow/Tara spell scene from the episode "Who are You?"

**

* * *

**Willow paced back and forth in front of Tara's bed, her mind reeling. "So…Buffy wasn't Buffy?"

"No."

"Then who…?" Willow stopped pacing. "Faith! It has to be! But…how did she…how did she wind up in Buffy's body? They must have switched—we have to do something!" She raced to Tara's desk, frantically flipping through her spell book. "There has to be a spell here we can use! There has to be!"

Tara got up off the bed, peering over Willow's shoulder. "I-I know a spell that we can use. It will allow us to get a Katra that will allow Buffy and Faith to get back into each other's bodies."

"Can you do that?"

"It takes two people; the spell's pretty intense though. You'll need an anchor."

"But how—" Willow looked around. "What do we use as an anchor?"

"Well, you can hold my hand and I'll act as an anchor."

"Do I need an anchor?"

"Without an anchor, you'll drift. You may never come back to the real world. But, if we're going to do this, we have to do it now."

Willow gulped. "Okay then. Let's do it."

* * *

"Okay, you-you ready?" Tara looked at Willow expectantly, putting a pillow behind her.

"Yeah. I'm-I'm ready." Willow looked behind her. "What's the pillow for?"

"In case you fall over; sometimes the spell causes you to become so overwhelmed that you may faint. I wouldn't want you to hit your head."

"Oh. Okay then." She smiled. "Well, let's do this then. Uh…how do we start?"

"Okay, I'll sit here." Tara sat down opposite Willow. "Now, take my hand and with your free hand, start sweeping in an arc while chanting the spell. I'll do the same thing; our hands creating an arc will combine to form a circle, thus making the spell stronger. You ready?" The blonde witch held out her hand.

Willow took the outstretched hand, grinning. "I'm ready."

"Good. Do you trust me?"

Willow smiled. "Completely."

"Good." Tara checked her spell book, slowly sweeping her hand in an arc, interlacing her fingers with Willow's. She began chanting.

* * *

Willow closed her eyes, freeing her mind of everything but the feel of Tara's hand in hers and the sound of her chanting. She followed Tara's chanting word for word, feeling the magic slowly pulse through her. It started out slow, flowing freely, warming her entire body. She swept her hand in an arc, feeling the magic becoming stronger and stronger with each sweep of her hand.

The chanting became more and more frantic, rising to a quick pace. It flowed through Willow's body, hot, driving, making her feel almost giddy. Tara's hand in hers felt warm; a steady anchor in the mass of magic that threatened to engulf her. Her breathing quickened, causing her heart to race, making her feel dizzy. Though scary, Willow refused to fight the sensation. Her heart pounded, threatening to pound out of her chest. Her breathing increased faster still, becoming heavier this time. The magic pulsed harder, causing her body to pulse rapidly. She felt herself floating in the magic, drifting, it was carrying her somewhere. Somewhere she'd never been before…

There it was, faster, harder, hotter, warmer, it was more than she could bear. She moaned, her body falling backwards onto the pillow in utter exhaustion.

* * *

Willow looked at the mist swirling around her; everywhere she looked, there was nothing but grey. Everything seemed colder, darker somehow. She shivered, realizing she was wearing a white dress. "Oh, it's-it's cold in here. Brrr." She breathed heavily, trying to warm up.

"Here." Willow turned around, finding herself face to face with Tara, who was carrying a long, brown coat. "Put this on."

Willow allowed herself to snuggle into the coat, turning the collar up to her ears. "Thanks. I needed that. I didn't know it would be so cold here."

"It's a side affect of the spell. I-I forgot to mention it. Sorry."

"Oh. It's-it's okay. I should have asked." Willow studied Tara. "Hey, you're wearing a white dress too."

"Anchor's also function as spirit guides." She smiled, taking Willow's hand. "Come on, let's go find the Katra."

Willow took the outstretched hand, amazed as the feel of it warmed her body through and through, staving off the cold. She smiled, allowing Tara to lead her to the Katra.

* * *

"Look! There it is!" Willow pointed in the distance; an orb sparkled and shone in the dim light. The pair walked closer to it. "That _is_ the Katra, isn't it?"

Tara chuckled slightly. "Yes."

Willow picked up the Katra, studying it with her free hand. "That's it right? That's all we need?"

"Yes. We can go back now."

"How do we do that?"

"The same way we got in; just…chant the spell backwards and sweep your hand in the opposite direction."

Willow did as she was told, sweeping one hand in the opposite direction while her other hand held Tara's tight, never letting go. The magic engulfed her again, quicker this time, sending her back to the world she had left behind…

* * *

"Willow? Willow wake up. Are-are you alright?"

"Huh?" Willow opened her eyes, finding Tara staring down at her, a worried expression on her face. Willow looked around. "What happened? Did-did I get the Katra?"

Tara smiled, lifting up Willow's hand. "Yes. It's right here."

"Oh. That's good." Willow smiled weakly.

Tara leaned down, sweeping a strand of hair off Willow's forehead. "You're all sweaty."

"I am?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Without thinking, Willow reached her hand up, cradling Tara's face. "You're sweaty too."

Tara blushed. "I-I told you the spell was intense"

Willow smiled weakly, momentarily losing herself in Tara's penetrating eyes. She swallowed, blushing slightly. "So…I have the Katra."

"Yes."

"Which means…" She trailed off, her mind a blank. "Which means…"

Tara smiled gently. "We have the Katra, which means we can save Buffy."

"Oh. That's good. I guess." Willow closed her eyes, willing her heart to stop hammering. She opened them again. "Guess we have to save Buffy now huh?"

Tara chuckled softly. "Yes."

"Oh-oh okay." She went to sit up, struggling.

Tara put a hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her back down onto the pillow. "Just rest for a minute; your body has to adjust to being back in the real world."

"Okay." Willow closed her eyes, slowly drifting off. Her mind wandered, landing on Buffy. Her eyes opened, meeting Tara's gaze. "I can't wait; we have to get the Katra to Buffy; who knows what's happening right now. I-we have to save her."

"Okay." Tara held out a hand, gently helping Willow sit up. She studied her for a moment. "Alright?"

Willow forced a smile. "Yep. Right as rain." She gently stood up, making sure she was steady on her feet. "Okay, I think I'm ready now." She looked at Tara, smiling. "_We're_ ready now."

"You mean…I can come with you?"

"Yes; I think you would be very helpful." Willow smiled. "Come on." She held out her hand.

Tara took the outstretched hand, allowing Willow to lead her out the door. She smiled at the feel of Willow's hand in her own, slowly shutting the door.


End file.
